Duke Blue Devils head coach Mike Krzyzewski during practice the day before the semifinals of the Midwest regional of the 2013 NCAA tournament at Lucas Oil Stadium. / Jamie Rhodes, USA TODAY Sports

by Mike Lopresti, USA TODAY Sports

by Mike Lopresti, USA TODAY Sports

INDIANAPOLIS ‚?? And now, live from the NCAA Midwest Regional, it's the Mike & Tom Show.

They're both trying to get to the Final Four, and nobody of his generation has done that like Mike Krzyzewski. But lately, Tom Izzo comes closest. And now one has to beat the other Friday. Izzo's son, by the way, is picking Krzyzewski.

On the Mike & Tom Show, the NCAA Tournament success grows on trees, without the taint of major scandal.

Mike has been to 11 Final Fours. The only man ever born with more was named John Wooden. Mike has won 81 tournament games at Duke. Only four schools ‚?? UCLA, North Carolina, Kansas and Kentucky ‚?? have won more in their entire history.

Tom been to six Final Fours in the past 14 years, and nobody else has done that. Not even Mike.

"Longevity of excellence," Rick Pitino called it Thursday. "They're standard bearers in what our coaching profession is all about."

On the Mike & Tom Show, stability means something, in a volatile business. Tom has been head coach at Michigan State since 1995. A long time. But the day he won his first game, Mike had already been to seven Final Fours at Duke.

Mike is from a Polish neighborhood on the north side of Chicago. His old high school closed years ago.

Tom is from the upper peninsula of Michigan and a town called Iron Mountain, where he grew up with future NFL coach Steve Mariucci. Now the address for the Iron Mountain school superintendent is 217 Izzo-Mariucci Way.

"I look at where he came from," Tom said. "I look at his parents in Chicago and just the way he grew up, and it reminds me a lot of the same things I did. So I guess when you've been raised right, you have a little more loyalty.

"We've taken ownerships in our universities. We're not just employees."

Mike thinks so, too.

"We we both brought up a certain way, where we understand the game is bigger than anybody."

Mike has been to the tournament 18 consecutive years. No. 1 on the active list.

Tom has been to 16 in a row. No. 2.

Mike has four championships.

Tom has one.

Mike likes Tom.

"There's nothing about Tom that I don't think is good," he said. "If we lose to them, believe me, I will hug him and shake his hand, and he'll do the same for me. I like that. I think it's more the way it used to be in coaching."

Tom likes Mike.

"One thing I learned from him early on; when I was trying to win one game in a tournament, he was trying to win the weekend, and that's one thing I stole from him," Tom said. "I think he has been a model for a lot of people to follow."

Know who seems to like Mike even more? Tom's son. Twelve-year-old Steven Izzo was filling out his bracket before the tournament started, and one morning Tom asked how was it going. He recreated the conversation Thursday.

"I got you getting to Duke, Dad."

"That's good. Where are we going from there?"

"I don't know, Dad. I just don't know."

"Steven, I love you. Do it with your head, not your heart. Don't worry about Mom or Dad."

Tom described Thursday how it turned out: "The damn kid didn't do it. He didn't worry about us at all. He picked Duke, and we move on. He's a skinny little guy that won't be eating for a month if we lose this game.